Requiem (8 page)

Bex looked to his older brother. “Ars
Notoria.”

“
That’s it!” I said. “What
does it mean?”

Jared sat on the edge of the bed and
tenderly touched the sides of my jaw, looking into my eyes. “It
means we’re going to have to get a Naissance de Demoniac. And not
just any bible. Shax’s. My father is trying to tell us
something.”

My brows pushed together. “What are you
saying?”

“
It’s not demons doing this
to you,” Bex said, seeming vexed.

“
That leaves one thing,”
Jared said.

“
You think it’s Gabe,” I
said, horrified.

Jared pulled me closer, and then leaned his
cheek against my hair. “We need that book.”

Chapter Four

Exhaustion

C
offee shop meetings stopped. Attending ball games ceased. My
chair at study group had been filled due to my persistent absences.
The only friend from school that I kept in contact with was Beth,
and that was only because she was my assistant at Titan.

Fielding her constant questions about my
behavior was exasperating, but her help had become indispensable.
The dreams were a nightly event, and the sleep deprivation wore on
me so much that half of the time I needed Beth to remind me what
day it was.

The nightmares were also wearing on Jared,
who left me with Bex every day to search for Shax’s bible. It
didn’t take him long to figure out that the second he closed his
eyes my nightmares would begin, and minutes later screams would
echo throughout the loft.

A new semester had begun, and still the
dreams came. By Spring Break, Jared grew desperate. Everyday he
sought Eli, asked Samuel for help, he’d even taunted Gabriel for an
answer, and every time he came home frustrated and
empty-handed.

“
Coffee?” Jared asked, his
voice tired.

“
Yes, please.”

Once again, our day began at three-eleven
A.M. I worked on a few papers, and studied while the coffee still
kept my brain functional. Once the heaviness set in, Jared brewed
another pot.

“
At some point, this has
got to be bad for you,” Jared frowned. “I can’t get anyone to tell
me anything. I don’t know how our fathers found where Shax kept the
book in the first place. Word gets around. They must know what
we’re up to. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had to travel to Hell to
get it.”

Weary of the same dialogue, I rubbed my eyes
and nodded.

Jared sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m frustrated,
and with all the caffeine in your system, it makes me feel a little
anxious.”

“
Ugh…I forget about that,”
I said, setting my mug on the table.

The morning sun cast an amber tone against
the walls. Summer was just around the corner. My friends at school
were discussing tropical vacations and family reunions, and I was
too tired to think about the next hour.

My cell phone rang, and I fished in my purse
to answer. “Hey Beth,” I sighed. “What’s up?”

“
Kim and I are meeting for
coffee. Again. Like we do every morning. And you’re invited. Again.
Like every morning. Are you going to flake out? Again? Like you do
every morning?”

“
Sorry. I’ve already had a
pot of coffee this morning. I’ll see you in class.”

Beth paused. I could hear a muffled,
irritated voice in the back ground. Beth was obviously covering the
phone with her hand. “Er…Kim says…Kim wants you to come.”

“
I have a feeling that’s
not what she said,” I frowned.

After the sound of a scuffle, Kim spoke into
the phone. “We are going to be at the coffee shop in thirty
minutes. And you are going to be there, too, or me and the Sentra
will come get you, and you will ride all the way there strapped to
the roof like a freakin’ Christmas tree, you got me?”

I held the phone away from my ear as she
yelled, and then cautiously held it within talking distance. “I got
you.”

“
Okay, then,” Kim said,
satisfied.

“
Sorry,” Beth whispered
before ending the call.

“
Sounds like your friends
miss you,” Jared grinned.

“
They probably just want to
yell at me and ask me questions,” I said, stuffing books into my
bag.

“
You should tell them the
truth. They’ll just think you’re crazy and let it go.”

I laughed. “You have a point. It’s the one
time I can be honest with them and not worry about them believing
me.”

They wouldn’t believe you, anyway,” Jared
said, kissing the top of my head. “I can take you today.”

“
I know better than to
think you’ve given up.”

“
No, I’m still working,” he
said, keys in hand.

Beth and Kim sat with me at our usual table.
They both watched me, until I began to feel like a zoo animal. An
interrogation was immanent. Beth’s expression was unsure,
nervous—Kim seemed just the opposite. She was ready to pounce.

Beth looked to Kim before she spoke. “How’s
Ryan?”

Her question took me off guard. I had
expected more questions about the circles under my eyes, or the
gallons of caffeinated drinks I’d consumed during the day.

“
He doesn’t write much
anymore.”

“
You don’t talk about him
anymore,” Beth said without pause.

“
How’s Jared?” Kim
asked.

“
He’s…fine.
Why?”

Kim crossed her arms. “What does he think
about the fact that you’re a zombie these days?”

I shrugged. “He wants to fix it.”

“
How’s that?” Kim
asked.

Too tired for tough questions, my words were
more acerbic than I’d intended. “He’s a guy, Kim. Guys want to fix
everything.”

Beth nodded. “If a hammer and nails could
solve it all….”

“
What’s he doing to fix
it?” Kim prodded.

“
Research,” I said blinking
away the urge to let my eyes close.

Beth frowned in reaction.
“Nina, you fell asleep on your desk yesterday. Grant is grilling me
about what’s going on with you. I don’t even know what the
truth
is
so I can
keep from telling him.”

“
You won’t accidentally
tell him, I promise,” I grumbled as I sipped from the plastic lid
of my coffee cup.

“
The truth is that
far-fetched?” Kim asked.

My stomach began to complain from both the
amount of hot liquid swirling inside it, and the irritating
predicament I was in. Being impatient and upset so often due to the
lack of sleep took a toll on my appetite, and the over abundance of
coffee in my system made me feel ill on a regular basis.

I stood. “We’re going to be late.”

“
Are you sick, Nina?” Beth
asked.

“
No,” I said. My nausea was
not what she was referring to.

“
Do you have some disease
you’re not telling us about?”

“
No, Beth.”

“
Could Jared be poisoning
you?” she blurted out.

I laughed once, shocked. “Is that why you
two brought me here?”

“
Are you two into something
we don’t know about? Voodoo-Witchcraft- Satanist crap?” Kim
asked.

“
What would even make you
say that?”I said, my patience thin.

“
Just answer the question,”
Kim said flatly.

“
No. I’m not being haunted
by demons if that’s what you’re getting at, Kim.” A part of me
wondered if that’s what she was asking. She always seemed to be
right on the edge of the truth, and had the habit of asking all the
right questions. Beth being there was just a cover. She knew
something.

“
I didn’t ask if you were,”
Kim said. For the first time since I’d met her, she was
uncomfortable. I watched her for a moment before she pulled on her
coat and grabbed her keys from the table. “Class starts in
ten.”

Beth and Kim watched me with concern as I
waved them away and walked to class. It was on the top floor, and
the decision to take the stairs was regretful by the second flight.
My body felt ten years older. Two or three hours of sleep a night
had begun to wear on my muscles, my train of thought, and my
patience.

My reflection in a trophy case in the
hallway caught my eye, and I stood there, amazed. The purplish
circles had deepened under my eyes, and my skin was too tired to
stay in place. The corners of my mouth hung lazily, and the light
in my eyes was gone.

Class was just a few steps away, but my body
felt too drained to make the trip. I leaned against the wall. The
professor had already begun class, and I listened as intently as I
could from the hallway. His words blurred together as he went over
the last week’s test, and then lectured for what seemed like an
eternity. The reading assignment was discussed in brief before
class let out early.

Even as the other students passed, I let the
wall support my weight. The walk to campus from the coffee shop,
coupled with the energy I’d exerted taking the stairs, had taken
everything out of me. Standing upright was the only thing I was
capable of.

After watching the last of my classmates
leave for other venues, I focused on the elevator. It was half way
down the hall, but would take less effort than taking the stairs. I
took a deep breath and pushed myself away from the wall. My feet
felt like they had been soaking in cement, and towing fifty-pound
blocks with each step. My knees began to wobble, and I could feel
beads of sweat form on my forehead. Stopping to rest was not an
option. If I paused for even a moment, I would have passed out in
the hallway.

Finally reaching the elevator, I pushed the
button and took a deep, ragged breath. Even breathing took effort.
The door opened, and Jared stood before me.

Knowing better than to pretend everything
was normal, I reached for his arm and let him support my weight as
I took the few steps to stand next to him.

“
Nina,” he said quietly
into my ear, “I think it’s time—,”

“
I know,” I said. “We have
to find someone.”

He walked with me for a while, but once we
were in the parking lot, my legs gave way. Jared lifted me into his
arms, and carried me the remaining distance to the Escalade. My
eyes shut and would not open.

I didn’t wake when Jared carried me inside
the loft, nor did I feel the mattress beneath me when he lowered me
into it and covered me with blankets. It wasn’t until the sun broke
through the blinds that I realized I had been tucked in and slept
sixteen hours straight.

“
Jared?” I called, my voice
raspy.

“
Nope, it’s just me,” Bex
said. He sat on the bed, seeming vexed.

“
What wrong? And where’s
Jared?”

“
He’s been gone since
yesterday evening. He caught a break.”

“
What’s with the
face?”

“
You slept.”

“
Isn’t that a good thing?”
I asked, sitting up against the headboard.

“
Not for Jared. This makes
the third time you’ve slept solid when he’s been gone all night.
Can’t be a coincidence.”

I laughed once. “Are you saying he’s causing
the dreams?”

“
I’m saying it’s a
possibility the dreams go away when he’s not around.”

“
That’s ridiculous,” I
sneered.

“
I’m probably right,” Bex
said, his teenage confidence overriding his usual politeness. In
that moment, he was more Claire than Jared. “And Jared’s going to
take it hard.”

“
No he’s not, because
you’re not going to tell him,” I said firmly.

“
Nina…I have to tell him,
you know that.”

“
My sleep was interrupted
by my annoying, incessant screaming at three-eleven A.M. just like
every other morning. That’s the story.”

“
You don’t think he’ll
know?”

“
He’s been distracted. It
could work.”

“
It won’t.”

“
Bex! At least
try!”

Bex stood up and crossed his arms. “He’ll
know, and then he won’t trust me ever again because I helped you
lie to him. Do you know how imperative it is that we trust each
other? You really have gone crazy.”

He walked down the stairs in a huff, and I
blew my bangs from my face, aggravated. Even in his disgust, Bex
began making breakfast, and after a shower I joined him at the
table.

“
Something came for you
yesterday,” Bex said, tossing an envelope on the table.

It was from Ryan.

I tore it open and scanned it over for signs
of sadness or danger, and then I reread his words more slowly. I
went over them again in disbelief.

“
What?” Bex
asked.

“
He’s been accepted into
the Special Forces.”

Bex laughed. “Are you serious? That little
butt nugget?”

“
It’s not funny, Bex! This
is…did you know? Has Claire called?”

“
No and no,” Bex said
matter-of-factly.

“
Did Jared say anything?” I
said, grabbing for my cell.

“
Nina,” Bex said, holding
my wrists gently, “I’m sure it’s a miscommunication. Ryan hasn’t
been in the Army long enough to get into the Special Forces. That’s
unheard of. I don’t see him cutting it, anyway. If my sister can
incapacitate him, I’m guessing he’s a big weenie.”